


Mocha

by artikgato



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, meet cute, souyoweek2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-14 23:31:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7195673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artikgato/pseuds/artikgato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For some reason, he was nervous when he rang the doorbell. He had no reason to be, but he was meeting a new person for the first time, and, assuming he even got the right person, the only thing they had in common was his adorable glutton of a cat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mocha

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 2 of Souyo Week 2016 for the "alternate universe" theme - an AU where Souji and Yosuke meet because Yosuke keeps feeding Souji's cat and ends up leaving a note for the owner on her collar.

Souji Seta's daily routine usually went like this: at 6am he would wake up and stumble into the kitchen for coffee and toast. After giving the coffee time to get his brain started, _then_ he would get dressed, comb his hair, and make sure he was properly groomed for work. Because he was Souji Seta, he would have already packed a bento for lunch made of leftovers from the previous evening's meal, which he would grab on his way out the door. Nine hours later - eight hours of work and an hour of commuting - he would return. As soon as he was in the door and his briefcase and coat were in their designated places, he would refill the by now empty bowls of food and water for the only other resident of his small but cozy apartment: his long-haired brown cat, Mocha, who would appear in the window like clockwork the instant she heard the food hit the bowl. After she ate he would brush her long, soft, luxurious fur. From there he would make dinner, pack his bento lunch, and settle onto the couch to watch a movie or possibly play some video games, before turning in for the evening by no later than 11pm. He worked six days of the week and went shopping and ran errands on the seventh.

Today, however, there was a little anomaly in his usual routine. For the first time since he moved in, Mocha did not appear in the window. At first, when she had been just a kitten, he'd been afraid of letting her wander outside. But Mocha was a very intelligent cat and she had figured out how to get the window open, so after her escaping a few times he had just simply started leaving the window open. It had never been a problem before. He tried not to get worried about it, but it was impossible. He burned his dinner and had to order delivery for the first time in a long time, and he couldn't focus on any movies of any sort. Knowing that she was supposed to be here and _wasn't_ was upsetting him far more than it really should have. There was still no sign of Mocha when he went to bed. He had trouble falling asleep, an endless loop of awful scenarios playing through his head. He'd need to print out 'lost cat' posters soon. Maybe he should check the local pounds. Maybe she'd been kidnapped? Or worse?

Morning came, and still no Mocha. Just in case, he moved her food and water bowls closer to the window before he left for work. He kept making mistakes at work in his state of infinite distraction. He had to fake the symptoms of a cold and blame it on that before his boss was satisfied. All in all, this was a very bad day.

When he stepped through his apartment door to the sight of Mocha perched on the windowsill, he was so relieved that he forgot to take off his shoes before he bounded across the apartment and scooped her up in a hug. It wasn't until he put her down that he saw the note tucked around her collar, a piece of white paper folded up into a long strip.

> _'Dear whoever actually owns this cat:_
> 
> _Sorry about last night. It was really cold and I got worried, so I brought Bob inside. That's the name I decided on for this cat by the way. Look, I can tell your cat is well taken care of and isn't in danger of starving, but he is really cute and I keep feeding him. If you want to come by and say hello here is my address'_

Souji raised an eyebrow and eyed Mocha with a frown.

"What, don't I feed you well enough?" he asked. She proceeded to take a bath, and he sighed. Well, he knew this person's address, so stopping by on the way back from work probably wouldn't be too bad. And he could inform them that Mocha was _female_ and no her name was _not_ Bob. Who names a cat 'Bob' anyway?

* * *

The next day, after work, Souji found his way to the address on the note. As it turned out this mystery person lived almost right behind him. If he leaned out the window that Mocha used to come and go from his apartment, he could probably see the back of their apartment building. They lived in two different apartment complexes, and the only thing between the two buildings was a bunch of weeds and rocks.

For some reason, he was nervous when he rang the doorbell. He had no reason to be, but he was meeting a new person for the first time, and, assuming he even got the _right_ person, the only thing they had in common was his adorable glutton of a cat. He waited for a few seconds, which seemed to him like hours, and if it weren't for the sounds coming from inside the apartment he would have just turned tail and fled. But eventually the door did open, and someone did appear in the doorway. It was a guy who looked to be around his age. He was only an inch or two shorter than Souji, on the slim side but by no means out of shape, he had caramel colored hair and eyes and a very handsome face. Souji was _floored_. He must have looked it, too, because the other man blinked at him and then asked, a bit shyly, "can I help you?"

"Uh," Souji floundered, then remembered the note in his pocket, retrieving it and holding it up. "This is...this is weird, but by any chance did you write this note?" he asked. Please tell me you wrote this note, he didn't add. The stranger's eyes instantly brightened, a thousand-watt grin appearing on his face.

"Oh! Are you Bob's owner, by any chance?" he asked, excitedly. Souji huffed.

"'Bob' is a girl, and her name is Mocha, thank you very much," he corrected. The other man blinked again, then chuckled.

"What kind of a name is 'Mocha'? What, is she named after a Starbucks frappucino or something?" he asked. Hmph. He may have been ridiculously attractive, but that didn't excuse how _rude_ he was being. Mostly.

"Well, what kind of a name is 'Bob', anyway?" Souji countered, and the brunette laughed.

"True, true. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Yosuke Hanamura," he said, holding out his hand.

"Souji Seta," Souji replied, taking his hand and shaking it, and trying really hard not to think about how good Yosuke's hand felt in his. He'd never believed in love at first sight but, well, there was a first time for everything.

"So you've been feeding Mocha? No wonder she hasn't been finishing her dinner," Souji said. Yosuke chuckled, sheepishly.

"She's so small, at first I thought she was homeless and starving," he admitted.

"I think she was the runt of her litter," Souji explained. "She's just naturally small."

"Well I know that now," Yosuke replied. "I noticed she had a collar, and she always looked really well brushed whenever she came around."

"And you kept feeding her?" he asked, and Yosuke nodded.

"I like cats. She's a nice cat, I like her," he explained. Souji nodded.

"Indeed, she is. So do you have a cat yourself?" he asked, and Yosuke shook his head.

"Nah, can't afford the pet fees," he replied.

"So you've been buying cat food just to feed her? I'll...I can pay you back, if you want," he said, but Yosuke shook his head.

"Nah, I haven't been buying cat food just for her. I like her, but not that much," he replied.

"Then...what _have_ you been feeding her?" he asked.

"Well, I eat a lot of hot dogs, so pieces of those, mostly," Yosuke explained.

"Hot dogs?" Souji asked, and Yosuke blushed a little.

"I can't cook all that well, and eating out all the time is expensive, you know?" he explained.

"You should come over for dinner some time. I always make too much when I cook," Souji replied, and it was out of his mouth before he could actually think about what he was saying. Yosuke looked pleased.

"Wha-really? You cook? What kind of stuff do you cook?" he asked.

"All kinds of things, it's a hobby of mine. Anyway, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought I'd offer, since-"

"Oh no, I want to! Anything's better than hot dogs. And, I take it that since you always make too much, you live...alone? No girlfriend or boyfriend?" Yosuke asked. It might have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that Yosuke put extra emphasis on 'boyfriend'.

"Nope, I'm single. What about you?" Souji asked, and he just hoped he didn't sound too hopeful.

"Same," Yosuke replied, with a shrug. Souji took a couple of seconds to steel his nerves, and then asked another question.

"So, do you want to come over for dinner tonight, then?"

Yosuke grinned.

"Sure," he answered. Souji swallowed.

"As...a date?" he asked. Yosuke laughed.

"Inviting me back to your place on the first date...a little forward, aren't you?" he replied, with a wink. "Here, let me get my coat and I'll walk with you, is that okay?"

Souji's head was spinning. What in the world were the odds? Not only was the person who had been feeding Mocha amazingly attractive, but also single _and_ gay? And, holy shit, he was _interested_?

If this went well, Souji found himself thinking, he'd have to go buy a can of the fancy cat food for Mocha as a thank-you.


End file.
